She was inducted into the Australian Path of Champions in 2014. The Path of Champions recognises the achievements of Australia's top athletes. (swimswam.com, 21 Oct 2014)

She was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia [OAM] in the 2014 Australia Day Honours list. Her fellow 4x100m gold medallists from the 2012 Olympic Games in London also received the honour. (insidethegames.biz, 26 Jan 2014)

She was named the 2012 Australian Institute of Sport Athlete of the Year [shared with sailor Tom Slingsby]. (swimming.org.au, 17 Nov 2012)

She was named the 2010 and 2012 Australia Swimmer of the Year. (Swimming Australia, 24 Nov 2012; aliciacoutts.com.au, 17 Nov 2011)

She was named 2008 Australian Institute of Sport Female Swimmer of the Year. (ausport.gov.au, 18 Jul 2012)

Other information

RETIREMENTShe retired from competitive swimming in October 2016. "From a little girl who had a dream to be an elite swimmer, to my final race in Rio [2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro] I wouldn't change a thing about my career and I am so proud of everything my team and I managed to achieve over the years." A week after her retirement she announced that she was pregnant with her first child, due in May 2017. (Instagram profile, 10 Nov 2016; swimswam.com, 31 Oct 2016)

LONDON 2012She claimed five medals at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, joining Ian Thorpe and Shane Gould with the most medals won by an Australian at a single edition of the Olympic Games. (theaustralian.com.au, 05 Aug 2012)

SWIMMING FOR HER FATHERHer father Gary died from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma when she was seven years old, after a seven year battle with the disease. Her family sometimes struggled financially during his illness and swim coach Dave Urquhart trained Alicia for over a decade for free, developing her into an elite swimmer. "He became a surrogate father [to her]," said Alicia's mother Julie. When Alicia was five her father told her "you'll go to an Olympics one day" and she says she has swum for him ever since, realising his belief in 2008 when she competed at the Olympic Games in Beijing. (heraldsun.com.au, 24 Jul 2011)

SURGERYIn July 2007 she had major abdominal surgery for an interception of the bowel [doctors removed 15cm of her bowel and in the process found a benign tumour] which put her out of the pool for several months. Following the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, she says she returned to training too soon and exacerbated the problem, requiring abdominal surgery again in March 2009. Following the first surgery in 2007 she struggled to return to her optimal competitive weight, which took a mental toll. "It was just a daily battle. I'd come home and I'd just cry because I'd be like 'why am I doing this?'" (swimming.org.au, 16 Jun 2010; heraldsun.com.au, 24 Jul 2011)